I Became a 6★ Gacha Character-Chapter 519: Super Compressed Event 4

We pulled the unconscious mercenaries from the ground like uprooting radishes, woke them with a splash of cold water from Water magic, and made them strip naked.

Though viewers were screaming that Han Se-ah should suffer through this awful sight alone, as if she'd ever listen. Thanks to this unwanted late-night strip show, we found blood-drawn patterns inside the other four sets of armor too.

While the chaotic nature of sorcery research made it impossible to identify the exact type of curse, Elize helped us understand how it worked.

"It's a curse that makes the wearer get lost and wander, plus another that pulls them back when they increase their numbers. If these mercenaries hadn't tried kidnapping anyone, they would've wandered the hills until they starved to death."

"There are curses like that?"

"It's closer to a curse that prevents return unless you follow orders. But like the self-harm curse earlier, it was used playfully."

"Well, endless wandering as punishment for disobedience does seem rather mild."

The mercenaries who'd broken free from the self-harm curse turned deathly pale at Elize's explanation. If they'd felt guilty and refused to kidnap anyone, they would've wandered the hills forever until collapsing from exhaustion.

Then our party would've endlessly searched the east without finding quest clues. Lucky for us these mercenaries were weak-willed enough to commit evil to save themselves.

"So if we wear these, it'll work?"

"There are five of us too - we could pretend we kidnapped three people."

As Grace pointed out, our party had exactly five members. If we counted Elize, Jacob and Mills as three kidnapped people, the curse should activate - a perfect exploit.

The only minor issue was the overwhelming stench from the blood-marked armor worn by filthy mercenaries. Having to wear stinking men's armor seemed an oddly fitting penalty for this shortcut.

According to Han Se-ah's whining, the women had to wear armor that smelled like "gym clothes left in a locker all summer vacation."

"Should we wash them?"

"The curse marks might wash off - just wear them."

Seeing everyone's discomfort, Jacob and Mills offered to wear the armor instead, but unfortunately Jacob's goodwill ended there.

The starless medieval mercenaries weren't particularly large, while Jacob was a muscular giant over 2m tall. No way could armor meant for 170cm men fit a 200cm muscle mountain.

That left only Mills able to substitute. Unfortunately for Han Se-ah, Mills' consideration went to the Saint acknowledged by the Goddess rather than the hero. Well, Mills was still a mercenary despite retiring, and someone who took jobs to help sick children would naturally take faith seriously.

"Hey, did they tell you where to take people?"

"Just to cross hills. Said there were hills everywhere..."

While Han Se-ah writhed from the subtle filtered stench in her oversized armor and milked more donations after the killing intent debuff, everyone else prepared to hunt the witch.

Nothing fancy - just repacking the equipment and luggage they'd left at the chief's and shepherd's houses.

Han Se-ah put sleeping bags, tents and food back in her inventory while Mills gathered the iron and silver wires hidden around his waist and clothes. What should've been tedious finished quickly thanks to inventory systems.

"Did we forget anything?"

"We didn't take much out, so we're good."

"What about these mercenaries though?"

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

Though it was late, no one complained of fatigue on their first day of carriage travel, and their supplies were perfectly prepared thanks to inventories.

The only issue was the mercenaries shivering wrapped in rags after we took their armor. They were both victims kidnapped by the witch and would-be perpetrators planning to kidnap villagers.

We'd taken all their armor and weapons so they couldn't harm villagers... but that made it hard to just leave them in the village. As Jacob started to quietly step forward, seemingly reading my concerns, the village chief hurriedly spoke up.

"My lord."

"What is it?"

"Could we decide how to handle these men? We'll take care of disposing of them so you won't be bothered on your long journey."

His aged face showed not hostility but sympathy and... desire?

Come to think of it, five able-bodied men would be quite valuable to a small rural village. While five mercenaries causing trouble could be dangerous, with the 2★ shepherd protecting the village, the villagers could subdue them together. And after being knocked out by that staff blow, the mercenaries wouldn't dare rebel.

They'd either wander the plains naked after we took all their equipment, or become village servants begging the locals for help.

※

After granting the chief's careful request and effectively renaming the five mercenaries Spring 1 through 5, we walked under the dim moonlight.

With no real destination, we headed for the small hill right behind the village. Being at the start of rolling hills, we didn't need to go far. It took barely 10 minutes walking off-road toward the palisade the mercenaries had come from.

"What about the carriage?"

"Told the chief to handle it. We've caught that bitch's trail from the very start of our journey."

Elize left both horse and carriage in the village as if they were pocket change unworthy of revenge, striding through tall grass with Katie who wrinkled her nose at the old, musty armor stench.

Meanwhile her slender fingers waved through the air, presumably using sorcery. Unlike magic, there was nothing visible - no wonder people feared witches.

Waving a staff to shoot visible fireballs versus shaking animal bones to cast invisible curses - which would normal people find scarier?

"Ah, it's this way. We have to stick pretty close together to move."

"I don't see anything special - are there conditions?"

"Yes. Should I say it's just like that bitch? There are no specific conditions - you just get cursed when you return after kidnapping someone."

"...That's vicious."

We wound our way around the hill, too low to even block the moon. It was so small we could leap over it in two or three steps at full power, but we followed Elize's lead up its strange, twisted path.

Something seemed to work sorcerously though, as the air currents subtly shifted against our skin. Hard to describe, but since putting on the armor there'd been something bothering my superhuman senses - was this the curse?

Mills, wearing armor instead of Irene, changed his breathing oddly with a "hmm" as if his scout's instincts detected something sorcerous too.

"Now straight down that hill. Armored people in front."

"I'll take point, Roland."

Our kid, eyes sparkling with excitement at experiencing the witch's sorcery, drew her longsword without hesitation and moved forward at Elize's words.

Down and down from the hilltop. So low we could descend straight down in under 3 minutes. But as we followed Katie with her drawn sword, somehow the minor slope kept stretching on.

The tiny hill that took just over 5 minutes to climb in zigzags. After more than 5 minutes going straight down, then 10 minutes, tension began creeping into everyone's faces.

"Man, we gotta keep walking all night? Think something went wrong... bad enough it stinks, but add sweat and this'll be pure hell."

-Han getting drenched in sweat covered in old man stench... ugh!

-OMG LOL How can you say that after watching those mercenaries strip??

-Why did we have to watch unwashed old men strip? Don't share your fetishes with us

-Note... Han Se-ah... old man... exposure... voyeur...

-Quest speed running like crazy but one mercenary strip show completely destroyed public opinion LOLOLOL

While everyone maintained silence, only Han Se-ah and her viewers chatted busily, breaking the night's quiet. Of course, I was the only one who could secretly hear them.

"Hanna, shh."

"Well... oh, um, sorry?"

So I had to take a small jab at her.

Enjoy the chappy!